This morning everything as a “go” for the 20th annual Atwater Village Tree Lighting Ceremony this evening. However, we just heard that due to the ongoing high wind advisory, along with the loss of power at the Wells Fargo building and parking lot where the tree lighting party was going to be held, the event has been canceled.

However, according to the Atwater Village News website, there will be a subdued celebration tonight: “Instead we invite you for some hot chocolate, caroling and informal tree lighting at 5:30 pm. Shortly there after, we encourage everyone to celebrate the tree lighting from the comfort of your favorite local restaurant.”

We are waiting to hear back from Atwater Village Farm if the “after party” will still go on at their location.

UPDATE:

The Atwater Village Chamber of Commerce released this statement on Friday, December 2, 2011:

The 20th Annual Atwater Village Tree Lighting holiday ceremony presented by Atwater Village Chamber of Commerce and Atwater Neighborhood Council was nearly canceled due to a wind advisory. A windstorm on November 30, 2011 knocked down trees, power lines and left areas of Los Angeles in the dark. A good portion of Atwater Village also suffered from the blackout. Community leaders scaled back the event to one with simple caroling, hot chocolate and neighbors in the darkened Wells Fargo Bank parking lot (3250 Glendale Boulevard, 90039). The star of the event is located in the middle of the bustling business corridor of Glendale Boulevard. The majestic 50 year-old California Redwood Tree that towers 80 feet in the air was left unscathed by the winds. The tree adorned with strings of holiday light and ornaments served as a beacon of community pride. The wind had left the decorations intact.

A warm round of applause occurred when the tree was lit. The darkened street proved a perfect backdrop for the eco-friendly LED lit tree. Hundreds of residents attended. They sang carols, drank hot chocolate and remembered fondly of the first tree lighting in 1991. The tradition was initiated by the Atwater Village Chamber of Commerce but has expanded with the active involvement of the Atwater Village Neighborhood Council as well as community groups, businesses, religious institutions, individual volunteers and the City of Los Angeles. This year the community embraced the humble roots of the tree lighting with laughter, warmth and Christmas Spirit.

The scene pictured above at Silver Lake Boulevard and Larga in Atwater Village isn’t unusual after last night’s wind storm. The City will be very busy cleaning all the debris up, unfortunately it ain’t over yet. Winds are expected to continue through tonight, and high wind advisories to continue until Friday afternoon.

While it’s gusty in Atwater Village, we at least don’t have those 60-80 mph winds (and as high as 100 mph in some areas) that the mountains and coastal ranges do, and thankfully the neighborhood Christmas tree survived! The 20th Atwater Village Tree Lighting Ceremony will be held tonight starting at 6:00 pm in the Wells Fargo parking lot. Click here for more info.